“What’s for dinner?” It’s a question I used to hear and sometimes dreaded. I would scramble to the pantry and then try to figure out something that would appease the family without taking an hour, resorting to eating out or creating a ton of dishes. I would tell myself next time I would have a plan but the next day I got busy and then before I knew what happened I heard the same question and realized I did the same thing and failed to plan…again.

I finally had enough of feeling like I was failing at one of the cornerstone items that a homemaker handles. I decided that I needed to focus and create a new plan for myself and break out of my failing to plan rut. I began to think about what would make my life easier. I figured that with my husband taking kid duty I could have a little time Sunday morning for planning. This worked for a little while but I could tell that it wasn’t the best system for me or my husband who quickly got overwhelmed handling two very needy little ones. I spent an hour or sometimes two making a menu plan, planning a grocery list, and even looking up meal ideas on Pinterest or other recipe sites. I was missing time with my family, stressing about what to eat each week, how much the groceries would cost and making sure I wasn’t repeating meals too frequently but not doing too many new dishes either because I want my toddler to eat. I simply needed a new way to plan my menu.

On my quest to figure out a new plan, I came across the idea on a random Pinterest pin of planning a full month all at once. The idea intrigued me as I could spend a little extra time on one Sunday each month and have the rest of the month taken care of. I liked the idea of it so I set out to plan a new way how to menu plan. I quickly became overwhelmed and had to step back for a moment to evaluate what was and wasn’t working.

I realized I like to grocery shop for a two-week block and spending about $100-$150 a week for our family of 4 (which includes any household items like toilet paper) was more realistic for where we are in our lives and decided to menu plan around that. I’m also trying to keep it simple by incorporating things like Taco Tuesday and Spaghetti Thursday. I think my family likes knowing what is set for each day so I’m building on that. So far, it’s been working well.

JennyCup